 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing came clean. Yep, because yesterday he finally admitted that this government's housing plan is not working. He admitted that new housing starts are going down, not up, and in fact, they're expected to drop by 20% over the next three years, Speaker. Ontarians are struggling to find affordable places to live, and this government is letting them down. Speaker, to the Premier, will he join the Minister and admit the Conservatives' plan is failing? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again, I guess I don't have to point out there any that the Leader of the Opposition now wants to build more houses has somehow joined us in recognizing that there is a housing crisis in the province of Ontario, a crisis that was built up after 15 years of inaction by both the Liberal and the NDP, systematically making it impossible for people to actually build homes and for people to actually afford homes, Mr. Speaker. What the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is doing is taking out all of the obstacles that make it harder to build homes, Mr. Speaker, in the province of Ontario. That has been the absolute goal of everything that we have been doing since day one in this place. I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition for finally understanding that we have obstacles in the way of building homes for the people, the province of Ontario, who so desperately want to have that first home, whether it's to own the first home, their first rental, Mr. Speaker. I congratulate the Leader of the Opposition for finally recognizing we're in a housing crisis and hope she'll vote with us to actually deal with it. Supplementary. Perhaps they didn't hear their own Minister, Speaker. The plan is not working. The plan is not working. Yet again, this government is focused more on themselves and their friends than on real Ontarians. Because if they'd listened to real Ontarians, they'd realize that they have to do a whole lot better than this. People can't afford places to live, Speaker. And what is this government telling them? They won't fix their failing housing plan. They'd rather build luxury homes on the green belt and that their insider friends are more important. Speaker, back to the Premier. Will you at least bring back real rent control to get Ontarians some relief? Real real. From the House Leader. So, Mr. Speaker, what we're doing is we're building homes in all parts of the province where we have a housing supply crisis. Now, again, we started this in 2018, right, when we started bringing in transit-oriented communities, for instance. Now, what we said is along our transit corridors, the exciting new investments that are happening in the Toronto Transit Commission, the subways, but also in GO trains. And in my riding, that means in the GO train stations, whether it's in Markham, I know the Minister has been busy expanding it all the way out to Niagara, we're going to build up housing. It's going to be all types of housing, Mr. Speaker, affordable housing, rentals, Speaker, that's the type of housing that we want to build. And at the same time, we know that there is a housing crisis in other parts of this province. And the reality is that we have to move out of the way red tape and the obstacles that have been causing this crisis. Obstacles that the Leader of the Opposition and her party, in cooperation with the Liberals, put in the way of the people of the province of Ontario for over a decade and a half. I appreciate that she agrees with us. There is a housing crisis. I hope that she will join with us as we eliminate the red tape to get more homes built. The final supplementary Speaker, this government wants to talk about rent. So let's talk about rent because this government greenlit the largest rent hike in 10 years. They're more focused on themselves and their friends than on real Ontarians. If this government listened to regular people, they'd realize they have to do a whole lot better than this. Again, Speaker, people cannot afford places to live in this province. Back to the Premier. How is this going to help somebody who can't afford their rent this month? Government, I'll see you. Again, Mr. Speaker, it almost seems like there has been a conversion with the NDP. They now believe that we're in a housing crisis and that we have to do something about it, despite for the fact that over 15 years, they supported a Liberal party that put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way of building those new homes. And now we're hearing from the NDP that it's getting more costly to live in different parts of the province of Ontario. Now, we started again back in 2018, reducing costs for people, cutting taxes for the people of province of Ontario. They voted against every single one of those initiatives. We put real regulations in place to protect tenants across the province of Ontario. We have rent controls and we have more purpose-built rental housing being built in the province of Ontario than at any time over the last decade and a half about what she can really do, what they can do, Mr. Speaker, if they want to go that extra mile for the people of the province of Ontario, they can call Jack Meats in Ottawa and put on the table that the Federal Liberals will do the right thing and pause a 14% increase in the carbon tax which should be placed on me. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, back to the Premier. Managing public funds and ensuring that every single dollar is invested in the services and programs that people need is a core responsibility of any government. But this week, we finally saw the end of the saga of a senior bureaucrat who was siphoning off millions of dollars in public funds, including funds marked for pandemic support. Speaker, to the Premier, how did this government fail to notice 47.4 million dollars going out the door? To reply to Solicitor General. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. The former employee in question pleaded guilty to breach of trust, fraud and money laundering, which are all criminal code offenses. The OPP will continue to investigate and enforce any acts which violate the criminal code. And we expect, Mr. Speaker, everyone who works for the Government of Ontario to uphold the highest standard of professional ethics. Mr. Speaker, we will accept nothing less. Speaker, the individual responsible for this was also the Ministry of Education's Information Technology Leader on the Support for Families program, a program that was plagued by problems and delays in getting the money out to parents. All the while, this individual was able to siphon millions of dollars out of public coffers, with no one on that side noticing. It's very concerning to say the least. Speaker, in reviewing what went wrong in this case, were these hastily created funds identified as a risk of fraud? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To best of my knowledge, I think the majority of the funds have been recovered. And the fact that the individual was identified by the police and has pled guilty seems to be quite obvious that we did find out who it was, what they were doing, and justice moved swiftly to ensure that the people of the province of Ontario were protected. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, of course, this was a program that the NDP voted against, if I'm not mistaken, and it's in the first place. But nobody believes. Look, nobody believes the NDP's now recent conversion of believing that we have to do better with the taxpayers' money, right? Nobody believes that. Nobody believes the NDP when they say that they're going to do more on public safety because they always vote against it. Nobody believes the NDP, that all of a sudden it has a conversion, that there's a housing crisis, and we have to do more to build homes across the province of Ontario. Nobody believes that, Mr. Speaker, unless they vote in favour of the budget, unless they vote in favour of Bill 60, which the Minister of Health has brought for it, unless they vote in favour of the bill, the red tape bill that we brought for it, then maybe the people of the province of Ontario will start to believe what they... The final supplementary. I'll tell you what we believe in on this side of the house. We believe in accountability. We believe in accountability. The judge in this case called what happened a fraud perpetrated on everyone who lives in this province. And while the perpetrator is headed to prison, there are very important questions that remain unanswered here. We know the government has increased the amount that they stash away in contingency funds by fivefold since they took office. They're shuffling billions away from public scrutiny. What assurances do Ontarians have that we won't end up seeing more lost public funds as a result of this? Again, Mr. Speaker, look, the province of Ontario has reduced its... The Minister of Economic Development and Geographic Trade has highlighted this. We've reduced red tape and the cost of doing business in the province of Ontario by some $8 billion, which has resulted in an increase in revenues to the province of Ontario of over $50 billion. What does that mean? That means thousands of jobs. Thousands of jobs, right? Thousands of jobs are coming back to the province of Ontario. Now, we keep hearing this thing from the opposition. Well, during COVID, they had a fund. Well, of course. Of course, we had a fund, Mr. Speaker, because unless the opposition had Nostradamus working on their side, none of us knew what COVID-19 was going to throw at us, right? And we had to be able to respond quickly. And we did, despite the fact that they voted against increased funding for our hospital sector, despite the fact that they voted against tenants, despite the fact that they voted against a multitude of initiatives that helped us get through the pandemic better than any other jurisdiction in North America, in fact, the world, Mr. Speaker. They voted against it. We got it done, and now we're moving. Thank you. The next question, a member for Waterloo. Thank you, Speaker. On Sunday, residents rallied in Waterloo, and their message was clear, approve the region of Waterloo's official plan, which they participated in, protect the countryside line and crucial wetlands, and stop the needless carve-out of the green belt. Citizens know that there is no need to pave over farmland for sprawl. In fact, a recent report from the Alliance of Livable Ontario says Waterloo Region already has the capacity to build nearly 230,000 new housing units within the current boundary. And to that end, will this government reverse the cuts to municipalities by repealing Bill 23 and work with democratically elected municipalities instead of fighting them? Mr. Speaker, so on the first question from the Leader of the Opposition, they want to build more houses. And then on the follow-up question from the Finance Critic, it's about putting more obstacles in the way of building those houses. So I'll say this to the Finance Critic. We need those homes, we need those 200,000, and we need more, Mr. Speaker. That is why community after community have supported us in what we are doing to build more homes. I think it's what, 28 municipalities? 28 of 29 municipalities that we have called on to build more homes have said, yes, we have to do that, and we are coming on board with what the government is doing, Mr. Speaker. We need more homes. You know why we need more homes? Because we have thousands of people coming to the province of Ontario. You know why? Because we've taken the obstacles out of creating jobs and building wealth in the province of Ontario. Thousands of jobs are coming back to the province of Ontario. Billions of dollars in the investment that left, that left, are now coming back, Mr. Speaker. So we need those 200,000, and we need more. And the supplementary question, the member for University Roswell. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Premier, we have found that this government has forced municipalities to redraw their urban boundaries and rezone over 35,000 hectares of farmland and greenbelt land to permit sprawl. 35,000 hectares in Peel, in Ottawa, in Hamilton, in Holton, in Durham, in York, and possibly Waterloo, they are all being forced to permit expensive, low-density sprawl on farmland, even though your government's own housing affordability task force said very clearly, access to land is not the barrier that's stopping this government and Ontario from meeting its 1.5 million home housing target. Instead of recklessly paving over farmland and greenbelt, can this government commit to a housing plan to increase density and build the homes we need in areas already zoned for development? Well, again, Mr. Speaker, we are doing just that, right? We are taking out all of the obstacles that are in the way of people having their first home. And we aren't going to be sidetracked by an opposition that says one thing when the cameras are on and votes in a different way. It's always about not in their backyard, right? They want more homes, just not in the province of Ontario. They want more transit, just not in the province of Ontario. They want life more affordable, just not for the people of the province of Ontario. She calls on us to do more on farmland than we have. But I would say this to the opposition. Just a couple of days ago, supported by the NDP in Ottawa, the Federal Liberals have decided to plant 400,000 trees on farmland across the GTA, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if the member opposite would help us do the right thing, call Jagmeet Singh and say, don't support the 400,000 trees that they want to build on farmland across the GTA. Mr. Speaker, it's the wrong thing to do. It's wrong for the people of the province of Ontario. We need more housing, and we stand up for more. Next question. The member for Markham Unionville. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. Markham is home to many of the province's most advanced and innovative businesses. That includes over 650 corporate head offices and over 1500 tech and life science companies. And now, with the support of this government, advanced manufacturers are joining that rank, making record investments to create jobs and stay globally competitive. Speaker, would the minister please explain how our government is supporting advanced manufacturers in my writing to invest and remain on the cutting edge of their respective industries? Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. Speaker, by reducing the cost of business by $8 billion annually, we're proving that Ontario is open for business. This has led to record investments with over $17 billion in the auto sector, over $3 billion in life sciences and many more billions in tech. And we're bringing new life to manufacturing. In Markham, Novo Plastics recently announced more than $10 million investment creating 30 new jobs with $1.5 million in support from our government. Speaker, they are an Ontario-made manufacturer of engineered plastic components for the auto sector. And with this project, Novo Plastics will modernize their production process with automation and bring in robotics. This, Speaker, is how we're ensuring that Markham stays on the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the minister for his answer. Our government is reversing costs on the Liberals plan to make manufacturing a thing of the past in Ontario. They are supporting our businesses while bringing thousands of jobs back to the province. This helps miss no reminder that the Liberals sent 300,000 manufacturing jobs running from Ontario. Nor does this house need a reminder of the Liberals work to make small businesses ownership a pipe dream. Speaker, will the minister tell us about how our government is fortering the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to make Markham one of the best places in the province to leave work and grow? Mr. Economic Development. Speaker, lower taxes, lower hydro rates and less red tape means more money to invest and grow. It's a formula that the Liberals just did not understand. But it is a formula that our government is delivering on by reducing the cost of doing business by $8 billion every year. And, Speaker, with our small business enterprise centers, entrepreneurs have all the tools they need to succeed. Markham's center is receiving $420,000 to help their small businesses. And $92,000 for starter company plus and summer company. Now students and young adults are encouraged to start their own businesses. Speaker, Markham and all of Ontario's entrepreneurs will always have our government in their corner. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa Center. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Good morning, Premier. Speaker, as Gabrielle Magelhaze was dying in the Keele Street subway 11 days ago, many people in his community were there to hold his hand. And among them was a transit worker, who people don't know because that transit worker didn't want media attention. But transit workers take their jobs very seriously. And among us in the gallery, as the leader said, we have many here today from all over Ontario. Thank you for coming. They are the eyes and ears of our system speaker, but their positions right now are being cut because we are not putting enough money into operational funding for the transit system. Speaker, my question to the Premier, why aren't we doing that? Great question. To apply for the government. Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. The violence that we are seeing on the TTC is unacceptable. Transit riders and transit workers deserve the right to feel safe as they are working and riding on the TTC. But, Mr. Speaker, we have been there for the TTC. For the last few years, we have provided over a billion and a half dollars worth of funding. In the last year alone, Mr. Speaker, through the Safe Restart Phase 4 program, we have provided almost $350 million to the TTC. And through our gas tax funding, over $180 million. Mr. Speaker, these are dollars that go directly to the TTC to spend in any way they need to, whether it is on operational issues or on safety issues. But, Mr. Speaker, what the people of Ontario need to know and what the TTC riders need to know and TTC workers need to know is that when our government put forward the funding to support the TTC throughout the pandemic and beyond, the members of the opposition voted against it. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Minister. What I want the Minister to know, Speaker, is that transit workers know very well that the ask for the budget this year was $500 million to continue to stabilise this critical sector, but this government spent $80 million. What's happening here in the City of Toronto, Speaker, for subway cars, there normally were two positions. There was a conductor and there was a guard. And the guard looked to ensure the safety of the platform. The TTC is cutting that guard position. And it was the guard who saved a four-year-old girl at Coxwell subway station not long ago when they wandered onto the tracks. It was the guard that made sure that the conductor knew the subway train had to be stopped. Under this government's cuts for this year in operational transit, people are less safe. So my question to the Minister, why did you not deliver on the $500 million that transit workers need? And can we not just call them heroes? Can we make sure that their workplaces are safe so everybody gets to work or home safe? There we are. Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'll repeat, Mr. Speaker, we have provided over a billion and a half dollars worth of funding directly to the TTC for it to spend in the way that it feels it is most needed. Mr. Speaker, but I'm glad to hear that the member opposite understands that this is also a public safety issue. There's a mental health component and a public policing and public safety issue. You know, Mr. Speaker, when the cameras are on, the members opposite get up and do a great job of grandstanding. But when it comes time to vote for the measures that will actually help, like safe restart funding, like gas tax funding, and like funding our police services, the members opposite consistently vote against it. Mr. Speaker, the member from Ottawa Centre, not the TTC, but to support the funding in his own city, Mr. Speaker, he supported a motion at Ottawa City Council to defund the police. The member of Toronto Centre moved a motion when she was City Councilor. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Sault Ste. Marie. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs. In my writing of Sault Ste. Marie and in communities across the North, people are eager to take advantage of opportunities that will help to create jobs and support their economic growth and prosperity. Under the previous Liberal government, rural, remote and Northern communities were overlooked. The strengths, the assets and the abilities found in so many of our communities were ignored. And as a result, their full potential was never realised. Our government respects the people of Northern Ontario Speaker. We respect that we must remain committed to investing in programs and projects that will keep Northern Ontario competitive and current. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting prosperity and opportunities in the North? I'm persistent. Member for Thunder Bay Atacocan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my colleague from the great writing of Sault Ste. Marie for that question. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government prioritised revamping the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation programs to help increase economic development and promote job creation in the North. I've seen just how beneficial these programs have been for the workers and businesses, business owners in my writing of Thunder Bay Atacocan. And it is even more encouraging to see the types of investments that the NOHFC is leveraging. We continue to take every opportunity to engage with Northern municipal leaders, Indigenous partners, nonprofits and businesses to seek feedback on how we can modernise our NOHFC programs and better respond to the unique needs of the North. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation now has a renewed and refocused set of programs that will help contribute to build the strong, resilient communities and create an environment where businesses can thrive, grow and create good jobs. And I look forward to what the NOHFC and our government accomplishes in the future. The supplementary question. Thank you very much, Speaker. And thank you so much to the parliamentary assistant and to the great representative of people of Thunder Bay Atacocan for that response. It is encouraging that our government is supporting common sense measures that are going to continue to build prosperity across Northern Ontario. We know that the foundation of Ontario's strength is in our people and we also know that the North is not immune to the labour shortages that are being felt across this entire province. In order to meet workforce demands, our government must remove barriers to job participation, particularly in the North, so that young people can access the on-the-job opportunities that exist within their communities. The skills, the knowledge and the expertise that they can acquire will go a long way in helping young people into solid careers and economic independence. Speaker, can the government please elaborate about how our investments in the North are creating further opportunities for future generations. Again, Mr. Thunder Bay Atacocan. Thank you, Speaker. Thanks to the multiple streams available under the re-event NOHFC, we are creating new career pathways for people in the North. This is the time of year when university students start looking for summer jobs. Many hope that there will be opportunities for them back in their hometowns and we are investing in internship opportunities to help people stay connected locally. These internships have high success rates of job retention in the future and help people create new connections and opportunities locally. Since the beginning of the new year, we announced nearly $1.5 million of investments in internships in my writing of Thunder Bay Atacocan. Thanks to the NOHFC, the film industry in Thunder Bay is seeing the creation of four internship programs. Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Center to hire four research assistant interns and a human resources intern, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute to hire three research assistant interns, Atacocan General Hospital to hire a rehabilitation aide, and the Museum of Atacocan to hire a curator in Arcaia Arc. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. In the entire area from the Manitoba border to White River, all the way up to Hudson's Bay, anyone needing dialysis treatment must move to Thunder Bay because we have the only hospital that currently has dialysis capacity. After nine months of living in Thunder Bay to receive treatment, Carol Davis has already spent $17,000 in expenses. So it's not only incredibly costly, it is also cruel that people who are sick have to move away from their homes, friends and families. Minister, when will you be adding capacity to the three hospitals that already have dialysis units, and when will you be opening more dialysis units throughout the region? The Premier, Minister of Health. Speaker, you know, there's no doubt that life-saving dialysis treatment is something that we want to be able to expand and ensure that people can get as close to home as possible. In fact, in the north we have Ontario Health has identified capital initiatives to expand dialysis stations in Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre, Dryden Regional Health Centre, Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora, and Waha to improve dialysis in the province of Ontario. We know that people need these life-saving interventions as close to home as possible, and that is exactly what we're doing with your Ontario Health. Thank you. The Northern Health travel grant does not come close to covering the costs of patients forced to move to Thunder Bay for treatments. Patients like Carol need to be reimbursed by Health Ontario for their extraordinary expenses, and they also need strong networks of support to recover and not isolation. So I'm glad to hear that these projects are happening, but will the Minister tell us today? So CBC asked the Health Minister a month ago for comment, there's been no response. What I'd like to know is exactly when those expansions will be taking place so that patients and their families can get treatment when and where they need it. The Minister of Health. You know because of the extraordinary efforts that we are doing with infrastructure in Ontario, we of course have 50 plus hospital expansions or new bills happening in the province of Ontario, including in Waha in Northern Ontario. You know those expansions ensure that additional services can be provided in community, and I hope that the member opposite thinks seriously about that when she gets the opportunity to vote on the expansions that are included in our health budget. Thank you. The next question. Next question, the member for Bruce Gray, Owen Sound. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Red Tape Reduction. Whether you're a business owner looking to grow your operations or an individual trying to access government programs and services, the last thing anyone needs is to navigate a complex wet of burdensome processes and never ending paperwork. Needless red tape makes life more difficult for all of us. Fixing outdated complicated process will save time and money for all Ontarians. That's why our government has focused on finding meaningful solutions to make life easier for people and businesses across many sectors. But there are always more opportunities to make further improvements. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how the less red tape stronger economy act will help Ontarians? Minister of Red Tape Reduction. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I want to thank the member for Bruce Gray, Owen Sound for that important question and his continued work on helping us reduce red tape right across this province Mr Speaker. No matter which small business or industry association I meet with Mr Speaker, the first thing they say to me is when we sit down we wish every jurisdiction had a ministry dedicated to reducing red tape Mr Speaker. This is because under the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP they spent decade Mr Speaker creating red tape killing businesses and driving jobs out of our province. The measures in a spring 2023 red tape production package if passed will result deliver real results Mr Speaker for people and businesses right across our province. Measures like helping to connect every community across our province high speed internet by 2025 Mr Speaker after 15 years of red tape and excuses under the previous Liberal government our government is cutting through it all and getting it done. Great job. And the supplementary question. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that excellent response. I know my constituents and the people across our province are very excited about the work our government is doing to pave the way for better services for example expanding broadband infrastructure across Ontario. It is evident that the less red tape stronger economy act introduced by this Minister will add to our strong track record of improving access to government services and making life easier for businesses to invest and grow in our province. But our government must always be focused on doing more to deliver on our commitment to making government services more convenient for the people. Speaker can the Minister please elaborate on how our government's red tape production packages are making life easier for Ontarians. Minister of red tape production. Thank you Mr Speaker and thank my colleague for that important question once again Mr Speaker in the fall 2022 report we reported the savings of 576 million in annual savings for businesses not for profit and the broader public sector. Well I'm proud to stand here today Mr Speaker and announce we have now reached nearly 700 million in annual savings. This of course has paved the way for massive investments in our great province in critical minerals in tech startups in electric vehicle sector totaling over 17 billion dollars Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker there are over 660,000 new manufacturing jobs since we took office in 2018. Mr Speaker our latest introduction of the red tape production package will help us do even more so I would encourage all the members on the opposite side NDP and the Liberals to please get on side support the initiatives we're introducing so we can continue to make our province competitive. Thank you the next question is a member for Niagara Centre. Thank you Speaker through you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. AMO representing 444 municipalities across Ontario has calculated there is a five billion dollar infrastructure revenue shortfall resulting from bill 23. We've asked the minister repeatedly if he'll keep his promise to quote make municipalities whole so that these municipalities do not have to raise taxes or cut services will the minister commit today to restore the five billion dollars in lost revenue that AMO has identified and amend the budget accordingly yes or no. Thank you very much Mr Speaker again I remind the honorable gentleman that the initiatives that have been brought in by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing have resulted in 28 of 29 municipalities coming on board because they understand how important it is that we continue to build homes across the province of Ontario. Mr Speaker now in order to do that it has meant that we've needed to use utilize some of our natural heritage in order to do that while protecting even more of it. Now what does that mean for a community like Stovill? Let's talk about Stovill right what this means in a community like Stovill is that new homes will be built in Stovill in a community that has two new GO train stations with a vibrant downtown that is looking for people to work in all of the small businesses that are thriving because of the policies that we have made a community that has new schools a community that has state-of-the-art community centers a community where if you are a senior you have to leave our community to go live somewhere else because there is nowhere for you to live and that's what we are in part solving in a community like Stovill and that's why thank you very much thank you speaker my question back to the minister of municipal affairs and housing it is clear that this housing plan is not working and just like communities all across Ontario housing is critical in my city of Hamilton but it can't exist without infrastructure and right now Hamilton is facing an infrastructure deficit of $3.5 billion the cuts to municipalities and your bill 23 has left Hamilton with a difficult choice of raising taxes or cutting services that people rely on services like waste collection and road repairs so my question on behalf of all of the taxpayers in this province and all these municipalities will the minister commit to making Hamilton whole for this lost revenue to apply the premium well i want to thank the NDP for for asking that question if they did their numbers mr. Speaker those realize that we have 190 billion dollars of infrastructure going in across the province building these schools building new hospitals building highways and bridges enrolled right across this province unprecedented most money ever spent in infrastructure in the history not just of Ontario in the history of Canada no matter if we're doing the largest transit project in north america making sure that we build a subway to get people out of the cars we're going to continue supporting the municipalities all 444 municipalities and i just got to talk about the housing mr. Speaker we got the stats figures 445 000 people arrived in Ontario where are we going to house them we're going to make sure we build the homes we're going to make sure that we build the 1.5 million dollars and have affordable housing attainable housing and non-profit housing for the community the next question the member for brampton west thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of colleges and universities we know that there's a troubling shortage of doctors in Ontario including in my riding of brampton west and in the communities across the region unfortunately critical investments into the health care needs of our province were certainly not a priority for the previous liberal government despite repeated warnings from medical profession about physician shortage the liberals ignored the situation and even cut medical residency positions in Ontario mr. Speaker that is why it is critical that our government prioritize investment that will support our health care system and follow through on the commitment to attract and retain new doctors speaker can the minister please explain how our government is addressing the doctor shortage in Ontario mr. colleges and universities thank you mr. Speaker thank you to the member from brampton west for raising this important issue and for your advocacy in the new tmu medical school i'm proud to say that in 2022 alone we added 160 undergraduate spaces and 295 postgrad spaces over the next five years to train doctors which is more than ontario has seen in over a decade and in budget 2023 we were able to build on our government's unprecedented medical seat expansion by adding an additional 100 undergraduate and 154 undergraduates uh sorry postgraduate seats speaker that is 709 new medical seats announced in just one year previous liberal government and the official opposition our government under leadership of premier ford and the minister of health have rolled up our sleeves and got it done we didn't just talk about meeting more doctors we're ensuring that we will have more doctors speaker our government is building ontario's health care system to be stronger more resilient and better than before and the supplementary question uh thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response it is welcoming news that our government is expanding enrollment in medical schools this is a positive step towards improving access for patients who need medical care however the reality is that the shortage of doctors affect regions and communities across ontario differently depending on their needs and circumstances for example with the rapidly growing population in my riding of brampton west and across the peel region there's an increased demand for family doctors our government must recognize the unique needs across our province and implement realistic solutions speaker can the minister please elaborate on how our government is investing in medical schools to meet the needs of communities throughout ontario universities thank you speaker and thank you again to the member for their interest in the well-being of health care in regions across the province we have taken a pragmatic approach to ensure that every medical seat expansion increases medical seats in all regions of ontario by training more students in key communities we will keep up with providing quality health care to the growing population and improving distribution and retention of physicians across the province and to the member from brampton west i share your excitement of the new trial metropolitan university medical school in brampton and i cannot wait for the first cohort to be welcomed speaker it's worth repeating that brampton isn't the only medical school announced by this government because of the work done by premier ford we were able to transform the northern ontario medical school to a standalone institution and create the scarborough academy of medicine under the university of toronto and we aren't just training doctors for humans we are also training more vets thanks to the cooperation between guelph and lakehead university speaker our government continues to make record investments to build up our health care infrastructure we're ensuring that we have the trained professionals needed to care for all ontarians including the furry and feathered ones thank you speaker this week children from the legacy autism program are beginning the transition to our schools with no plan from the government no communication with school boards and no funding to schools to support them michelle macadam who is here with us today is one of thousands of parents across the province who are concerned by this government's failure to put in place a plan michelle's daughters are 10 and 12 they're not toilet trained they're non-verbal so this transition can't even be explained to them and their safety will be at risk without support they are flight risks they need to be watched at all times to make sure they don't put things in their mouth and choke they need supports in school to stay safe and thrive and this government is giving them nothing why is the premier setting these kids up to fail mr vegetation uh mr speaker we know for children with special education needs uh we believe so strong that they need support to succeed in her school system given the exceptional challenges they face this school year um and every year we've increased funding for special education overall by 92 million dollars that is the highest level of investment in the history of Ontario it's at 3.25 billion dollars today and we recognize there's more to do mr speaker specifically for children with autism we doubled the behavior expertise amount from 15 to 30 million 25 million dollars more for staffing today when compared to the former liberals so 3200 additional ea's hired working with those very children the need support we have fully subsidized professional development acues for educators to lift their standards with better communications with those children uh and as well which is why we've expanded after school skills development program to every school board in Ontario we know there's more to do and I look forward to working with members opposite to improve the lives of those kids thank you mr speaker you know your government the government boasts about increasing funding for education at the highest level ever but they don't take into account inflation there's an inflationary cut of 40 million dollars to school boards across the province the toronto catholic schools are facing at least a 35 million dollar shortfall that's going to cause at least 120 staff cuts and this it will may impact amy muletski who is one of the parents in the house today her daughter has autism her daughter is non-verbal uh is a flight risk and needs assistance with toileting she's in a special class special education class in a in a toronto catholic school and she's worried that the cuts because of the funding shortfall that your hand your government is handing to the tcdsb and other boards across this province she's afraid that they may lose some of the staff that support her student her support her daughter and that she won't get the supports that she needs to stay in school why won't your government why won't the government put the safety of children first and provide adequate funding for special education mr speaker even with a flat enrolment in the province of Ontario we've increased base funding when compared to the former liberals by 27 percent that is a significant step forward for those kids member opposite we accept there's more to do it's why in this budget in every budget we've increased special education funding i mean look we can we accept that there's more to do it's why we invest an additional 92 million dollars this year alone it's why we hired 3200 additional ea's that's why we hired 7 000 more education workers but i think the fundamental question parents are also asking is why are the members opposite oppose the very measures that improve the lives of these kids you have a track record of systematically opposing investments that help those children and i would hope in the budget you will vote for measures that incrementally improve the lives of every child's most especially kids with special education need to know i remind members to make their comments through the chair i'm not directly across the floor that was the next question the member for whitby well thank you speaker my question is for the minister of energy individuals families farms and businesses all across our province struggle to pay their electricity bills however our government respects the people of interior and our focus is on keeping costs down families workers and businesses are looking to our government to help them get through these challenging times particularly reducing their energy costs and helping them to make life more affordable speaker can the minister please explain how our government is helping hardworking interior families save money on their energy bill thank you very much i want to thank the member from whitby for that great question this morning we have cleaned up the liberal hydro mass but we're still doing more mr speaker under the leadership of premier ford i'm pleased to inform the house this morning that as of today we're raising the income eligibility threshold for ontario's energy affordability program by almost 12 000 for a family of four eight thousand dollars per couple that's going to mean thousands of additional families in Ontario can receive free home efficiency upgrades like insulation like smart thermostats energy efficient refrigerators and air conditioners mr speaker these free upgrades can help eligible families save up to 750 a year on their energy bills while also conserving energy and maintaining overall reliability of ontario's electricity grid the energy affordability program has already provided free upgrades to about 47 000 families across ontario and with today's announcement we're going to help a whole lot more mr speaker elementary thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response for many individuals and families it's welcome news that our government is taking action to make energy more affordable especially for those who need it most the energy affordability program is just one of many supports available through the ministry of energy our government must continue to build on what has already been accomplished to bring down costs and provide help to ontarians after the liberal squandered our province's clean energy advantage for many years speaker can the minister please elaborate on what programs are available for those who need help the most minister of energy thank you again to the member from whitby speaker on top of this change to the energy affordability program today we're providing this support support to families when they need it through programs like the ontario electricity support program the oesp this program provides a credit of up to 75 per month for low income households additionally the leap program the low income energy assistance program which provides up to 600 a year and emergency assistance for families facing disconnection and other even more targeted supports like the first nations delivery credit program for on reserve customers are important programs at the same time we're saving the average residential family $168 per year in the ontario electricity rebate lots of programs mr speaker and while families had to choose between heating and eating when the liberal government was in charge in ontario we have stabilized rates we've stabilized our electricity system and we're providing targeted supports to families that really need the help the next question the member for trot again for thank you speaker speaker my question the minister of energy last week media new brunswick reported that opg was in negotiations with new brunswick power to potentially buy the ailing point lepro nuclear generating station we've gone through this kind of acquisition effort before when the six million dollar man ran hydro one we need to focus on ontario and its needs not on problem plants in other provinces why is opg focused on new brunswick when we needed to focus on providing affordable and sustainable power in ontario minister of energy mr speaker when the six million dollar man was in the news here in ontario the liberal government was in charge there's a brand new team in charge right now mr speaker and while we're waiting to see the details on any kind of potential cooperation between nb power and ontario power generation what i will assure the people of ontario this morning is that any deal will be in the best interests of ontario ratepayers you can take that to the bank the opg the folks at opg are world leaders when it comes to providing clean reliable affordable nuclear power to our province from the large-scale can-do reactors that we have in ontario to now the development of this new the new small modular reactor that's going to be developed at darlington our government has continued to watch what's happening down at point lepro with opg and we will inform the house all the way along but again i just want to confirm to the member opposite we're not going to sign bad deals like these guys did that you supported we're going to break last the members make the comments through the chair once again the supplementary question yeah it appears to me speaker that the government didn't learn from the six million dollar man and the liberal mistakes so far no details have been released about these negotiations and new brunswick power says that all options are on the table including purchase of a plant that is losing money point lepro plant has performed badly since being refurbished about a decade ago last year its failures added over 300 million dollars to new brunswick powers five billion dollar debt why should ontario ratepayers take on a project that could stick them with huge debt mr of energy mr speaker again we're going to wait and see what happens between talks between opg and nb power but again what i'm going to assure the member opposite is unlike what he supported when they were signing contracts for 80 cents a kilowatt hour for power that was being provided by our nuclear fleet at seven eight cents a kilowatt hour we won't be going back to those days mr speaker you know yesterday we signed a massive massive deal in port hope the member's home riding at camico a 2.8 billion dollar deal to extend the canvua contract with bruce power one of the largest nuclear facilities in the entire world right here in ontario a facility that has been been providing clean reliable affordable nuclear power i have to ask the member opposite why would he oppose a technology that is providing clean reliable electricity 60 percent of ontario's power every day why do the ndp not support our nuclear fleet mr thank you the next question the member for scarborough gildwood thank you mr speaker and i thank you for the opportunity to present my question on behalf of the people of scarborough gildwood this will likely be one of my last questions in this chamber and after four elections and 10 years serving as the member for scarborough gildwood i will be resigning my seat in the coming weeks in order to seek a different forum to serve the people of scarborough and everyone in toronto so speaker my final question in this house is for the premier premier as you know i have been a champion for the scarborough subway of course you have been a champion for the scarborough subway too as well as your late brother robb when he was mayor as you know tunneling for the scarborough subway began in january and it is slated to open in 2030 premier i know that we are in agreement that the people of scarborough and everyone in toronto deserves the best public transportation possible when they travel for work school or pleasure knowing that how can we provide from the province the best support to the ttc and to reply the premier well mr speaker i'm going to take the high road here i want to thank the member from scarborough gildwood for serving and and running restart the clock but the facts are mr speaker the scarborough gildwood mpp did absolutely nothing when robb my brother was mayor trying to get the subway they were 15 years in power they had no interest in supporting the people of scarborough they didn't do absolutely nothing it took this government to actually get the scarborough line going get make sure we get the young extension going the eglinton westline and the ontario line they had 15 years they did absolutely nothing to build transit in this province absolutely nothing the house will come to order order start the clock supplementary question you know speaker one of my mentors says always go higher so back to the premier premier it is often the case that we disagree in this house and in fact that given that it's actually part of the job here for all of us but what we all agree on is that we must all do our part to provide the best service possible to the people that we represent whether it is building the subway to scarborough whoever started it whoever's finishing it or improving hospitals and health care for the people in scarborough things that i have championed since i was elected and even our previous government did the same however we get there we agree that people who send us to these chairs they want us to serve at our best so premier with mutual respect and building consensus and working together the city government the provincial government and the federal government all want the same thing a stronger city a province and country my question is what can we all do together to ensure that we are all working together for a better future for the people of this province premier well i want to thank the member from scarborough guildwood once again the reason we're building the largest subway expansion in north america we were the first government to work with the municipality and i want to thank former mayor john tory for working with us the province and the federal government everyone pushed in but just a message to the member of scarborough guildwood you did not start it you did not finish it we started and we're finishing the line thank you speaker my question is for the minister of seniors and accessibility identifying preventing and removing barriers for people with disabilities helps to create an Ontario that is accessible and inclusive for everyone while Ontario has a robust framework to advance accessibility there's still much more work to be done we look to reviews previously undertaken by leading advocates regarding Ontario's progress and implementing measures to make Ontario more accessible review findings reveal that there are areas that need urgent action in order for our province to be a leader in accessibility and inclusion our government should ensure that programs and policies reflect the values of respect and inclusion as we move forward speaker can the minister please explain how our government will continue to advance accessibility across our province minister seniors and accessibility i'd like to thank hard-working member from storm months thunder south glen gary for important question mr speaker making Ontario accessible is an ongoing journey thanks to the leadership of the minister of finance we are proposing over six million dollars over not three years to support students with disabilities this marvelous investment will provide for skills development and education opportunities together with the minister of labour our government is also promoting employment programs for people with the disabilities we are working for you to build Ontario together thank you speaker and thanks to the great minister for that response in Ontario everyone has the right to equal opportunity and that is why our government must continue to support accessibility improvements in all areas of service delivery municipalities across our province must be committed to providing services and facilities that are accessible to all persons with disabilities each community has best position to identify specific programs that will benefit their residents local governments are making commendable efforts to meet the needs of their communities to continue to improve accessibility and to comply with requirements requirements under the legislation speaker can the minister please elaborate on how our government is supporting municipalities to deliver on their accessibility goals mr seniors and accessibility thank you for another good question project by project community by community we are advancing accessibility a great example of this is the ability centre in Whitby we are investing in additional 3.5 million dollars over three years to support the ability centre to provide skills development and employment for people with the disabilities we are making sure that people with the disabilities have the right program and services to find meaningful jobs and training this can only be possible under the leadership of this female thank you mr thank you concludes our question period for this morning we have a deferred vote on a motion for closure on the amendment to the amendment to the motion for an address regarding bail reform call in the members this is a five minute bell